When you close your eyes and imagine what a thriving family looks like, what do you see? A quality home environment filled with encouragement and harmony? Husband and Wife on the same page and enjoying their relationship? Children laughing and enjoying one another and excelling in their development? Wonderful and meaningful holidays and vacations? Whatever vision you hold of what a thriving family looks like, do you see that in your family? Building a healthy [...]
Is your family characterized by having an attitude of gratitude? When creating family identity do you cultivate and teach gratitude? Among the many reasons we love the Holiday Season, Thanksgiving to Christmas, is that it provided us a wonderful opportunity to build our family identity through family traditions that encouraged Trevor and Alex’s hearts towards internalizing the virtue of gratitude. Family Identity Through Family Traditions Cultivating family identity is an anchor for you and your [...]
Each November, as Americans, we have the unique privilege to exercise our American Liberty by voting and honoring our veterans. How often do we take both for granted, let alone explain the importance to our children? Yet both are fundamental to the founding and longevity of our republic. Without either “V” our country would not exist. Learn, Instruct and Vote Voting is at the heart of our democracy. In 1776, 13 elected state representatives, under [...]
“Mooommyy! Mooom! Mommy, can Stevie spend the night?” our little 5 year-old asked as he ran up the stairs with his friend in tow. “I’m sorry sweetie, but not tonight.” “But whyyyyy?!” “No. Not tonight.” No reason? Just a rejection? Doesn’t that seem a bit harsh? Wouldn’t it be better to explain why his friend couldn’t spend the night or at least throw out another possibility? No, this was a scene that had played out [...]
In 1997 we bought an Acura TL, just prior to having our first child. Today, Trevor drives that car at College with over 245,000 miles on the odometer. How did that car last so long? We made sure to use the right fuel, we were diligent with regular oil changes and maintenance, and took good care of the exterior and interior. Sure, there were times when we used the wrong fuel, missed oil changes, and [...]
Let’s say your 12-year-old is asked to go skiing with a friend’s family. It’s expensive, about $75 for the ticket, plus overpriced food. Since the parents of your son’s friend knows it would be a burden, they graciously offer to let your son use a season pass they have that pictures their other son who is not going. What do you do? Is it a no brainer? Do you take their offer and save the [...]
Core family values should be at the heart of your parenting. It helps you to define the “WHY’ of your parenting and establishes a character foundation that every member of the family should be familiar with. Whether you have toddlers or teens, it’s never too late to define and establish your Core Family Values (CFV). Where to begin Brainstorming and creating a list– Begin by compiling a broad list of values you want to define [...]
The most successful investments involve stewarding your time, talents and treasure to achieve the highest possible gain over and above the amount you initially invested. Over the years, we have made some good and poor investments. But, by far, the greatest investment we have ever made was investing in our family. Stewarding our time, talents, and treasure by investing in our family has paid off more than we even imagined. And it still continues to [...]
Last Sunday was Grandparents Day and it reminded us how special our relationship was with our own grandparents... and we miss them dearly! In that same reflection, we are so thankful that our boys have a special love and appreciation for their grandparents - our Mom and Dad. Studies from Oxford University and Boston College show that the Grandparent and Grandchild relationship can significantly add to the overall well being of the child and grandparent. [...]
What does it mean to be a Marr? This is one of the most important questions we faced as a young family. Being a Marr was not a question we contemplated walking down the aisle. For the two of us growing up in different cultures, Lis in Sweden and Dave in California, it’s interesting that family identity wasn’t one of the topics either of us encountered at the dinner table. But in raising our three [...]